Born in Uruguay in 1965, Gustavo Núñez is considered to be one of the leading bassoonists of his generation. In 1995 he was appointed principal bassoonist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Gustavo Núñez had his first bassoon lessons from his father and was awarded a grant at the age of sixteen to study with Kerrison Camden at the Royal College of Music in London.

He was later accepted into Klaus Thunemann’s renowned bassoon studio in Hanover. In 1987, while still a student, he won the Prix Suisse at the Geneva International Music Competition and first prize at the Carl Maria von Weber Competition in Munich.

He has held the position of principal bassoonist of the Staatstheater Darmstadt (1988) and of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (from 1989 to 1995).

Núñez gives masterclasses and has made solo appearances in the US, Canada, various South American countries, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, Australia, South Korea and Japan.

He has held a professorship at the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule in Düsseldorf since 1999.

Gustavo Núñez performed as a soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1999 and 2009, in the bassoon concertos of Weber and Mozart, respectively.